coffin bone/navicular bone

[Jill Gabel]

My horse's navicular bone is pushed up into the coffin bone. My vet saw the x-rays, however he says my horse on a scale from 1-5 for navicular he is a 4. Vet says its probably genetic. He told my farrier to put a 3 degree aluminum shoe on him with a rockered toe. My farrier is an AFA certified journeyman. He did an excellent job, however he questions the vet about these shoes as he is concerned about the navicular bone being pushed up even further into coffin bone. Is this a safe route to take with these shoes. My horse is walking almost 90% normal so far. But I am worried about doing further damage to those bones!

Thanks for any help.

[calshoer]

"Pushed up"could mean two different things.
1)If the coffin bone angle is already too high, it pushes the navicular bone up against the back of the pastern bone.In that case a wedge may not be appropriate, but
2) if the coffin bone angle is too low, (a "broken back"coffin joint) the tension created in the tendon underneath the navicular bone and tension in a couple of supporting ligaments, which could then be pushing up and pulling on the bone (like a too-tight sling). In that case the wedges will align the joint better and relieve the excess tension in the tendon and ligaments .
SO the question is which scenario is it? I will asume since the horse is a lot better, it was the second scenario, but of you or the farrier have questions or worries, ask your vet . Patty

[Jill Gabel]

Hi Calshoer. well my vet recommended the 3 degree rockered toe. He cant tell about the navicular bone, he thinks its genetic as quarter horses are prone to navicular it looks on the x-ray that it is just jammed up into the coffin bone basically. He limps on the right foot after 4 weeks when the toe starts to grow out. Since the farrier has put these shoes on him he is almost normal. I do give him a gram 1/2 bute before I go out riding and then I only walk him and I am exercising him around about a 50 acre pasture. But he is turning 85% normally and is walking almost totally normal so I guess the shoes have relieved the pressure on that tendon. Thank God! I spent $800 last week trying to figure out what to do for him and the farrier had put regular shoes on him which is why he got worse witht he limping and then another vet said he had a suspensory ligament injury which she was dead wrong as I knew it was the shoeing and the tendon. So I spent several hundred dollars on two different vets to get the right answer and finally had the vet tell my farrier to shoe him for navicular which he finally did. My farrier tends to be a little arrogant and thinks he knows all but he was wrong about putting regular shoes on my horse. My vet told me that though he is an excellent farrier he tends to think he is a vet ;-) so he called him and spoke with him. Around these parts it is difficult for some unknown reason to get the veterinarians and the farriers on the same page about helping horses with special problems. This is the third farrier I have been through to get it right.

[caballus]

Around these parts it is difficult for some unknown reason to get the veterinarians and the farriers on the same page about helping horses with special problems.

Unfortunately, Jill, your area is not the only one experiencing difficulties in getting vets and farriers onto the same page and more so, having the page be the *correct* one ... for either one :(

--Gwen